Chapter 11

The arranged meeting with the second son of the LePell Earldom ended in failure before it even started.

This was because she had delivered documents detailing his promiscuous behavior to the LePell Earldom.

‘How vulgar. Does he dare mock the Ducal Family and His Majesty the Emperor? Does he wish to be imprisoned for the crime of deceiving the Imperial Family?’

Of course, she didn’t forget to add a threat.

He fled without a word.

It was her rightful victory.

After that, every arranged meeting either got canceled or ended in failure.

The Emperor never gave up, but she had no intention of giving in so easily.

The Emperor’s blunt spear could not pierce her iron shield.

Of course, the reason she had become such an impenetrable shield was largely thanks to Eched.

Though she hated to admit it, it was true.

It was because Eched kept interfering with her arranged meetings.

‘Lady, I hear that man is a heavy drinker.’

‘That man is said to have a bad temper.’

‘That man is physically weak…’

‘That man is obsessed with socializing…’

‘That man has a tendency for idleness…’

‘That man overeats…’

‘That man is extravagant…’

‘That man gambles…’

Eched continuously brought information about her new potential suitors.

It seemed like it would never end.

After observing Eched’s actions for a while, she finally asked him, 

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

Eched replied nonchalantly, 

“It’s because your marriage needs to be finalized quickly so I can get back to work.”

Now, arranged meetings were even being scheduled on weekdays, so it was true that work had slowed down.

But to persist with such annoying behavior for such a trivial reason?

‘You’re really something else.’

With his usual composed expression, Eched handed her another document containing information about her next potential suitor.

Finding it meaningless to even look, she simply set it aside and asked, 

“What’s wrong with this man?”

“That man just… has bad energy.”

She was dumbfounded.

After leaving those words behind, Eched exited the counseling office. His steps as he passed through the door seemed unusually hurried.

At this point, she couldn’t deny it any longer.

Eched was acting strange.

This was definitely strange.

***

The palace was bustling from early morning with preparations for the departure of the knights heading to the Haltonea Forest.

Countless people were running around busily.

She had been summoned by the Emperor that morning, so she arrived at the Emperor’s office in the main palace.

She could roughly guess what the Emperor wanted to say.

It was bound to be the same old nagging about finding her another suitor or urging her to settle on one quickly.

Ignoring the voice announcing her arrival, she entered the Emperor’s office.

And there, she ran into Eched, who seemed to have just finished his conversation with the Emperor and was about to leave the office.

He was not wearing his usual informal knight uniform but instead his formal attire for official occasions.

The dark-colored outfit, adorned with an ornate cape, gave off a completely different impression compared to the usual white-and-navy informal uniform he wore.

Perhaps it was because of the darker colors, but today he exuded a more decadent atmosphere than usual.

“Are you leaving now? It must take a long time to get to the Haltonea Forest.”

Would he perhaps not return until after the Founding Festival? 

Of course, if things went according to the original story, he would return before then.

The thought of not having to see him for a few days lifted her spirits.

“You’ll be gone for quite a while, won’t you?”

“No. We’ll use the Mage Tower’s warp array to travel, so it won’t take long. Don’t even think about slacking off.”

‘Tch.’

Her good mood vanished.

“Have a safe trip.”

Half-heartedly, she gave him a lukewarm farewell and walked past him.

After Eched left and the office door closed, she greeted the Emperor.

“I greet the Sun of the Empire.”

The Emperor looked displeased.

Lately, every time she visited the office, he had that same expression, so she paid it no mind.

“A proposal has come in. No, rather, it’s more accurate to say they’ve put forth a marriage offer.”

“What? Which crazy person—no, which family did such a thing?”

The Emperor glared at her sharply, and she quickly swallowed her words.

“So, who is it?”

“Gusto Avidita.”

“Pardon…? Wh-who?”

Had I misheard?

She blinked her eyes and stared at the Emperor.

“The eldest son of the Avidita Viscount Family. I don’t particularly favor him since he’s the eldest son, but he was rather close to you during your academy days.”

“Close? Absolutely not!”

She was so shocked that she shouted.

Gusto Avidita.

He was a follower of Shaterian.

Gusto had fallen in love with Shaterian at first sight during the academy entrance ceremony when he was twelve years old.

He confessed to her multiple times, only to be cruelly rejected each time, often with mocking laughter.

Even so, he eagerly assisted her in her numerous misdeeds and even went so far as to personally try to tarnish Eched’s reputation.

In the original story, after failing in their final murder plot, he was sent to the execution platform, and she was sent to prison.

After regaining her memories, she had graduated from the academy as quickly as possible, thinking she would never have to deal with him again…

“I absolutely refuse Gusto Avidita.”

She firmly rejected the notion. He was absolutely out of the question.

Bang!

The Emperor suddenly slammed his fist on the desk and, with a voice filled with anger, spoke in a chilling tone.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out that you colluded with Bruf Robberalter to deceive me?”

“…You knew?”

“I am barely restraining myself from punishing you out of sheer indignation, so don’t test my patience.”

“…Understood.”

“Tsk. I don’t want to see your face today, so leave.”

With that, she was dismissed.

Bowing to the Emperor, who had turned his head away as if he couldn’t stand the sight of her, she left the office.

‘Orgon, that rascal.’

She had specifically told him not to say anything, yet he had gone and tattled.

How annoying.

‘And to think my suitor is Gusto. And what, a marriage offer?’

The headache grew worse. 

Why did it have to be Gusto?

As she walked through the palace corridors, the last image of Gusto flashed in her mind.

The day after receiving her early graduation certificate from the academy, she was packing her belongings to leave the dormitory.

Gusto had been standing at the dormitory entrance.

And he had been crying—tears streaming down his face.

‘Lady Shaterian, please don’t go…’

The moment he saw her, Gusto ran over and begged her.

He had cried so much that his voice was hoarse and sunken.

‘…’

To be honest, she hadn’t expected him to cry, so she froze in shock.

Now that she had recovered her memories, she could understand Gusto’s feelings.

He loved Shaterian so much that he was willing to participate in various crimes and even future murders. It wasn’t surprising that he would be devastated by her departure.

Though she felt a pang of sympathy, she had no intention of accepting him.

‘Gusto Avidita.’

‘Y-Yes…’

Gusto stammered through his sobs, barely able to respond. She sighed and spoke firmly.

‘Don’t be a nuisance. Why should I stay here because of you?’

‘But… we haven’t even gotten revenge yet… Hic…’

‘And what does that have to do with you? To me, you’re just a disposable pawn. Not a great one, but a somewhat useful, nimble pawn. Don’t overstep your bounds. I never want to see your face again.’

‘Lady Shaterian…’

Thud.

She deliberately bumped his shoulder as she passed by.

Ignoring his continued sobbing, she left the academy without looking back.

After that, he truly didn’t come looking for her, and she thought it was all over.

Of course, since she had chosen to live in seclusion, there was no way for him to meet her.

Later, she heard rumors that he had quit the academy shortly after she left.

At the time, she found it slightly puzzling.

Shaterian and Gusto had been inseparable throughout their time at the academy, committing all sorts of evil deeds together, so why would he drop out?

But she quickly dismissed her curiosity.

She had overlooked something back then.

The original storyline had started to deviate from that point.

And she realized it far too late.

***

The office without Eched felt oddly peaceful.

Perhaps it was because the usually silent and unreadable man wasn’t there.

Neither the aides’ office, nor the training grounds of the First Knights Order, nor even her counseling room felt the same.

In the floating atmosphere, no one seemed to worry about Eched, who had gone on an expedition.

Though peaceful, his absence meant an increase in workload.

The empty office was now under the temporary care of Lutz, the acting Deputy.

With a face that looked half-dead, Lutz mechanically processed the endless pile of documents.

“He’s not human…”

Watching him mutter as if in a daze, she clicked her tongue in pity.

Eched truly wasn’t human—only someone superhuman could handle such a massive workload.

Though she felt sorry for Lutz, there wasn’t even a hint of regret in her steps as she left the office.

Having started work in the morning, most of her tasks were completed by the afternoon. Just as she was considering leaving early, someone called out to her.

“Chief, a gift has arrived.”

“Huh?”

A large flower basket had been delivered to the counseling room.

Curious, she approached it and found a small card tucked among the flowers.

To Lady Shaterian, who grows more beautiful every day.

“Ugh…”

Goosebumps ran down her arms, and she dropped the card.

She didn’t even feel like picking it up, so she used her foot to push it aside.

“Pell, take this with you on your way out and throw it away. I don’t even want to touch it.”

She shoved the basket toward Pell and quickly fled the counseling room.

At the time, she assumed there was no one who would send her such a thing and dismissed it as a prank.

The only person who would play such a joke on her was Orgon, so she cursed him under her breath.

“Tch. That idiot.”

But the prank continued.

Lady Shaterian, your clear green eyes resemble a forest of phytoncides.

Every action of you, Lady Shaterian, is adorable.

What do you eat so beautifully, Lady Shaterian?

Could you have been a goddess in your past life, Lady Shaterian?

Flower baskets began arriving three or four times a day.

That’s when she finally realized.

This wasn’t a prank by Orgon.

This was from Gusto Avidita.

‘But how?’

Viscount Avidita’s estate was located on the empire’s borders, and it would take at least six days for anything to reach the capital.

Today was the fourth day since the Emperor had mentioned a marriage proposal involving Gusto, so it should take at least two more days for him to arrive…

How could he be sending these flowers while still traveling?

“When will the Commander return?”

Pell sighed as he placed another stack of documents on top of the already towering pile.

Ever since Eched left, Pell had been missing him quite a bit.

“He’ll probably return before the Founding Festival.”

“The number of monsters has reportedly increased significantly. Will he make it back in time?”

“Do you think Eched would struggle with mere monsters?”

She muttered absentmindedly, then flinched.

It sounded as if she trusted Eched immensely.

“Chief, that’s surprisingly high praise coming from you.”

“…I just meant that the Commander of the First Knights Order shouldn’t be struggling. Oh, look at the time. It’s already time to leave. I’ll be heading out first.”

In a fluster, she hastily scribbled her signature on the last document and left the counseling room.

Lately, strange rumors and frequent interactions with Eched had made her lower her guard around him.

It didn’t help that his face was exactly her type.

Dealing with a cheat-code-like supporting male lead was exhausting.

“No! I can’t let myself fall for him.”

Get it together, Shaterian Melis!

She made a firm resolve in her heart as she headed toward the annex where her quarters were located.

As she reached the entrance of the annex, she stopped in her tracks.

A man was standing in the garden.

When he noticed her, he smiled brightly.

“Lady Shaterian.”

“Gusto Avidita…”

For some reason, he, who had arrived at the imperial palace two days earlier than expected, was standing there holding the same bouquet he always sent to the consultation room.